HONTING IN AFRICA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18571, 1 December 1923, Page 2 (Supplement)

HONTING IN AFRICA.

ADVENTURE WITH ELEPHANT.

THRILLING EXPEDIENCE. ;;

ENRAGED BEAST'S "CHARGE.

■■■ A thrilling adventure with a charging elephant is related by, Mr.'. Denis D. Lyell in a book he has "written; dealing with his life as '&' hunter and collector in Nyassaland, North Eastern Africa; The story referred to is given in the,; follow-' ing extract from the author'sworks: — ? "None of the three, bulls I saw were very large, the best being one ,with tusks about 30 pounds each. >. This elephant was broadside, and offered » satisfactory position for the : brain shot, so. I aimed a little forward of his earhole and fired. He collapsed as if brained, and I thought he was- down for good, but he, wasn't, as he soon began to make the most strenuous efforts to get up, screaming loudly as he struggled violently to rise. The herd ran at the sound of my shot, and some of them,came round , toward us, so we had to run.for the timber,;V as we were out in the open. Before going I gave the wounded bull a shot in the shoulder, but it did nor, seem to hurt him much. ■■'■ :\ : \-\ : .■. >■'■■'■-+:. '■ Getting among the trees, I picked one of the best of them, 4 but only about a

foot thick, and stood behind it, with my Awemba gun-bearer, Kalenje, just behind with my cartridge-bag. The other men disappeared into the t bush and ran some way. When: I looked at the wounded bull, I saw he was coming;. straight for Kalenje and myself, and coming very fast, too. » - - , .

} "I had a Gibbs .303 fitted with a large magazine holding ten rounds when full, but I never put more than eight into it, as it did not work: quite so well when full up*' with the ten rounds. Having fired two shots, I had six left, and I needed them all. . t , ;: " The elephant, as I say, was coming at his best pace, and he was swishing through the short grass, making- a lout rustling at every step. His trunk was, curled and held low in front, and he never made a sound except.with his feet as he came rushing at us. \: '* • '... '■.■By the time I was settled comfortably gainst .my small 1 tree ? there was a distance of not more than sixty yards between us, and it w was being reduced very quickly, so I began to shoot steadily at the spot where ? the trunk joins tie forehead. There is a hollow in the skull here. Two bullets slapped on his hard skull, and' all he did was to shake his head and come faster still. "";>/:•"' "I was quite; cool, but cannot say I was not a bit anxious. When' the second shot failed to stop him, it struck me that I was going high,- as' that;is the usual fault with the frontal shot. "I then aimed lower and got him, ; for. while coming at his maximum pace, went clean over oh his left side, hitting the earth with a splendid s bump, and with the ; momentum slid to within a few paces of the tree. I thought his left tusk would have been broken, but it was" uninjured. " Kalenje, who was a very plucky fellow, was looking green, as he usually did when close to elephants, but the sport

had a fascination for him notwithstanding ; his natural fear of the animals. This was the best 1 kind of bravery, as it is nothing to be brave when one is hot afraid, vf may have been green, too, but I did not i have a mirror handy to look at my face. ''** The mtn;. were quite delighted-, with the show, and ran up and patted me on the buck in , the most sympathetic way, and I must' admit that I was mightily pleased, for after I had failed to stop him with my second shot, I began to wonder whether he would pick Kalenje or myself first. .; '■-." ---A- v -"".4 •?•;■■'■. \ * ! , "This is the finest sight I witnessed during the time I was hunting in Central Africa, and although I killed another elephant which was coming for me, he was not coming "at anything like the pace of this one, nor had he the relentless look of silent fury which that ' animal displayed. * ... -■ ,"' '' ■..:..■.,■ "Of course,'l ;have had elephants rush past me and almost over me many times, but only twice have I seen one come straight for me : knowing that I was ' his meat,' so to speak. Some people who see game V rushing, towards t' them, call I it a charge, which is absolute . nonsense, as the animals are simply trying to .escape, or get up against the wind, for all animals try to get the wind in their faces so as to have the power of scenting danger from their front. ,■'•; They may run down-wind for a bit when they are scared, but soon begin to swerve up' to the wind. By knowing this fact, one can sometimes cut across and get a shot, and this was a favourite move in \ the old days in •,.South; Africa a* hen a hunter was chasing game ; on horseback. Selous in his books often mentions doing this, and so do others,"